Author Topic: Any other ex dispatch riders among us?  (Read 1983 times)

Offline Athame57

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Any other ex dispatch riders among us?
« on: October 17, 2018, 11:50:50 PM »
Just wondering!
I brake for animals!
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Offline SteveD CB500K0

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Re: Any other ex dispatch riders among us?
« Reply #1 on: October 18, 2018, 07:19:46 AM »
Summer of 78.
Central London.
I worked exclusively for a publisher in Little Essex St. (Angling Times and Nursing Times are the ones I remember best).

I took the pasted up copy to the typesetter in Bedford. Twice a day.




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Offline Trigger

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Re: Any other ex dispatch riders among us?
« Reply #2 on: October 18, 2018, 08:16:28 AM »
Sub contracted to Arrow Express, Oxford St late 80's / early 90's
Main work was;
Hit & Run / Gailforce management  ( Phil Collins )
Shell
Total oil marine ( Stirling wait and return on a Wednesday)
BP ( mail from PO box Park lane to head office Hemel Hempstead )
Mobil ( Kicked me out of bed early Saturday morning 24th march to deliver all the press statements for the exxon Valdez )
Berwin Leighton London Bridge
And many more  :o

Have put up this vid before >>  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKZ9VoBw654
 

Offline adespin

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Re: Any other ex dispatch riders among us?
« Reply #3 on: October 18, 2018, 11:42:16 AM »
Yes, worked for Federal Express (Fedex) based in Swiss Cottage London during the winter of 1989, froze my nuts off. I was out of work at the time, adverts in the Motor Cycle News promised wages of £500 a week so off i went, my next door neighbour was demolishing Croydon power station and offered me free digs on site. So i stayed in Croydon during the week and rode 200 miles home for the weekend on my CBR600. £500 a week back then was a fabulous wage but to earn that you had to know the area like a London cabbie, so me having to thumb my way through the London A to Z on every call i wasn't getting much over £100, on top of that i had to contend with lunatic 4 wheel drivers trying to wipe me out on every junction. So after a few months i decided enough was enough and said goodbye to the Smoke.
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Offline adespin

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Re: Any other ex dispatch riders among us?
« Reply #4 on: October 18, 2018, 12:03:12 PM »

Quote
Have put up this vid before >>  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKZ9VoBw654

Brilliant vid Trigger.
« Last Edit: October 18, 2018, 12:28:19 PM by SteveD CB500K0 »
1971 cb750 K1

Offline Trigger

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Re: Any other ex dispatch riders among us?
« Reply #5 on: October 18, 2018, 02:55:15 PM »
Yes, worked for Federal Express (Fedex) based in Swiss Cottage London during the winter of 1989, froze my nuts off. I was out of work at the time, adverts in the Motor Cycle News promised wages of £500 a week so off i went, my next door neighbour was demolishing Croydon power station and offered me free digs on site. So i stayed in Croydon during the week and rode 200 miles home for the weekend on my CBR600. £500 a week back then was a fabulous wage but to earn that you had to know the area like a London cabbie, so me having to thumb my way through the London A to Z on every call i wasn't getting much over £100, on top of that i had to contend with lunatic 4 wheel drivers trying to wipe me out on every junction. So after a few months i decided enough was enough and said goodbye to the Smoke.

To earn top money on that job, you should never work for a big company like Fedex. You have to know not just London like the back of your hand but, all major cities. I would earn more than £500 just for the Wedensday and if there was a postage strike, you could earn 15 to 20 times more than a postal worker. Postal strike were the best times for us lot, office wallah's waving 50 pound notes trying to get you to stop. No change given  ;D ;D

Offline mick

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Re: Any other ex dispatch riders among us?
« Reply #6 on: October 18, 2018, 03:57:32 PM »
Did you seen how many were using CX500  ;) also known as the "Maggot" , here's a photo of mine , cheers Mick  ;)



« Last Edit: October 19, 2018, 11:19:35 AM by mick »

Offline adespin

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Re: Any other ex dispatch riders among us?
« Reply #7 on: October 18, 2018, 03:57:51 PM »
I'm shocked, you taking advantage of those poor hard up loads-a-money yuppies ::)
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Offline adespin

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Re: Any other ex dispatch riders among us?
« Reply #8 on: October 18, 2018, 04:01:35 PM »
Did you seen how many were using CX500  ;) also known as the "Maggot" , cheers Mick.
Back in the day we called them "plastic pigs"
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Offline hairygit

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Re: Any other ex dispatch riders among us?
« Reply #9 on: October 18, 2018, 05:49:39 PM »
Did you seen how many were using CX500  ;) also known as the "Maggot" , cheers Mick.
Back in the day we called them "plastic pigs"
That was the title given to Reliant's when we were younger (along with "Tupperware taxi") the CX was the plastic maggot!
If it's got tits or wheels, it's hassle, if it's got both, RUN!!!

Offline Trigger

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Re: Any other ex dispatch riders among us?
« Reply #10 on: October 18, 2018, 07:28:12 PM »
Did you seen how many were using CX500  ;) also known as the "Maggot" , cheers Mick.

A few CX's  :) Best bike for the job, Chasbikes had 130 out on rental at one point in the early 90's.

Offline Trigger

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Re: Any other ex dispatch riders among us?
« Reply #11 on: October 18, 2018, 07:31:49 PM »
Did someone mention Maggots ! Here is some old pictures of my old yard back in 1993 and a few engines. Oh and a VT500

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« Last Edit: October 18, 2018, 07:39:32 PM by Trigger »

Offline Trigger

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Re: Any other ex dispatch riders among us?
« Reply #12 on: October 18, 2018, 07:33:50 PM »
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Offline Trigger

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Re: Any other ex dispatch riders among us?
« Reply #13 on: October 18, 2018, 07:37:33 PM »
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Online K2-K6

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Re: Any other ex dispatch riders among us?
« Reply #14 on: October 18, 2018, 08:06:30 PM »
It was like a whole squadron of bombers taking off at the traffic light change to yellow in that era. Going round Wandsworth roundabout with great herds of CX also.   ;D

 

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